Could It Be
by The JohhnyMcKilt Productions
Summary: KKM Challenge. On the eve of a pre-conceived crisis, the inhabitants of Blood Pledge Castle are hit with insomnia. T-Zhou forces them to sleep once and for all for the sake of their health! Implied yaoi.
1. TZhou and Yuuri

A/N: Originally posted for Lj's KKM Challenge community and it's seventeenth round. The theme is to pair up 28 people with your chosen KKM character, not necessarily in a romantic way nor do the stories have to be related. Needless to say, I only got five underway, but this piece is worth continuing!

My character is T-Zhou, by the way. For the first chapter, it's Yuuri

**Could It Be?!**

_**The Reason for Your Insomnia!**_

The atmosphere within and around Blood Pledge Castle was undeniably tense. The cloudless, moonlight night seemed a mocking calm before the storm and indeed it was. Prevalent issues concerning the underground society, White Crows, and the safety of the Great Sage had the inhabitants of the castle on their toes. Even the dispatched soldiers and spies were called back specifically for an increase in that one night's security. No one knew what to expect the next day...perhaps an all out attack...

Shibuya Yuuri could not sleep.

He was sitting on the large window sill of his dark room, already clad in blue pajamas, staring at the moon in thoughtful apprehension. Greta was slumbering in a far, more snug corner of the royal bed and Wolfram had not yet arrived.

The young king hated waiting, especially if he had no idea of what he was waiting for in the first place. Politics made his head spin and the business with Murata's past lives (which the boy rarely disclosed of until it was too late) did all but muddle things even further. Despite the fact that Yuuri trusted all his advisers and retainers with his very life and relied on their more experienced judgments, he just wished people would fill him in on stuff he didn't understand once in a while.

Affairs of the state aside, there were really a lot of things on the black-haired boy's mind at the moment. Sleep was quite far from getting to him, thought the nagging voice at the back of his mind (that suspiciously sounded like his mother) told him he already needed to rest.

The door creaked open and light from the hallway torches spilled into the royal bedchamber. Midnight eyes blinked and shifted their attention to the sound.

"Yuuuuurii! Could it beeee?!"

Yuuri's face brightened and he hurriedly left his perch to greet his unexpected, woolly visitor.

"T-Zhou! What are you doing here?" he whispered cheerfully for fear of waking his daughter up and laughed a bit as the unusual animal enthusiastically cuddled against him and licked his face.

The sheep merely did Yuuri's world's equivalent of a happy bleat and settled itself comfortably on his lap as the pair returned once more to sitting on the window sill.

The black-haired teen sighed, feeling somewhat comforted now that there was something warm and vibrating wedged like an overstuffed pillow between his legs. He had read (or was it watched?) somewhere that domesticated animals were therapeutic in a sense that your problems would be half-solved if you told them about it. Yuuri wondered if confiding in T-Zhou would make him feel any better and if that the sheep could really talk, would he be good in giving advice as well? After all, it _is_ Yozak's progete. Perhaps being with the man on the streets taught him a bit about life and how to deal with a variety of people...

Sensing the boy's distress, T-Zhou nosed Yuuri's stomach and uttered a concerned whine. The Demon King blinked at him before giving the woolly head a grateful pet.

"Tell me, T-Zhou, is it easier being a sheep?"

The animal gave him what could be considered as a questioning look. Yuuri's hand stayed were it was as his gaze shifted to the sky.

"...because my job isn't as easy as it looks."

T-Zhou gave a reproachful sound and Yuuri looked at him.

"Don't get me wrong or anything! I love this world as much as I want to do something good for it. But...fighting can't seem to just...stop and I wonder if what I do is the right thing."

The sheep bleated in sympathy.

"I guess it goes to show I can't please everyone, but I act on the people's best interests, don't I?" Yuuri laughed bitterly. "If there's one thing I learned from my History class, it's that wars don't really solve as much as people tend to believe...and don't even get me started on peace treaties. Though...things work differently in this world, don't they? No offense to Gunter but I'm not as enthusiastic in History as he is. Or maybe I should be? It could help me rule better..."

He sighed. "I'll never get the hang of politics. It's so crude sometimes!" and pouted when he noticed T-Zhou snoozing on his lap. "I'm boring you, aren't I? Well...this isn't the only thing that can't get me to sleep."

The sheep opened his eyes and tilted his head the to side. Yuuri gave him a squeeze before casting a glance toward the lonely bed. T-Zhou caught his drift and looked at the boy ruefully.

The black-haired boy frowned in return. "Hey, I'm not _that_ dense. I know he likes me but I just don't like him the way he does me. Wolfram is...my best..." The more ridiculously intimate (and accidental) scenes he had with the blonde flashed through his head. "...best _best_ friend."

He got a reply that suspiciously sounded like a sheep's equivalent of 'yeah right' and he looked down on the animal using him as a bed and found him feigning sleep. He jerked his legs to jolt the cheeky thing awake. "T-Zhou! I'm not gay! Geez...I like girls for crying out loud. Well...maybe not in the way Morgif and Murata do but that isn't the point!"

T-Zhou's face clearly read 'You are in denial' and Yuuri placed his hands on his hips.

"You think I'm in denial?" he asked, daring the sheep to confirm in spoken language. "Alright fine. the only reason I think our engagement's awkward and _wrong_ is because we're both _boys_."

Gunter's (or was it Conrad's?) words of 'It has been known to happen' returned to his mind and he sighed. "If only he had breasts and a..." He flailed his arms. "...you know, I would've married him in a heartbeat--"

The words had flown right out of his mouth before they had a chance to sit and marinate into nothingness in his head. Upon realizing what he was wishing for, he blushed furiously. "I mean...not that...way. It's just...forget you heard anything T-Zhou. That...that sounded real...screwed."

T-Zhou was still frowning at him and Yuuri felt his own conscience speaking to him through the animal's eyes, though its voice sounded oddly like Murata's.

_Breasts or no, Wolfram is still Wolfram._

The young king's pout was enough to melt the Eiffel Tower. He grabbed two fistfuls of sheep and buried his face in the fluffy wool, deeply inhaling the scent of Yozak's favorite shampoo, making the animal squeal a bit in surprise.

"Are you sure you're a sheep?" came Yuuri's muffled question.

T-Zhou made a superior sounding grunt and the boy laughed. The latter released his hold and hugged the sheep tightly.

"Thanks T-Zhou. I don't know how but you've made me feel so much better tonight."

He gazed at the fluffy thing with shining eyes as it hopped off his lap and jumped on the bed to give Greta a good night lick. Before leaving the room, T-Zhou mewled a long "Woruuu..." and gave Yuuri a look.

The black-haired boy blinked and 'oh'-ed as the sheep trotted out the door. "B...W-wait! You're going to find him? They're probably in some meeting..." But T-Zhou was far into the torch-lit hall. "Oh well...the bed _is_ colder without him."

**TBC**

A/N: Conrad up next.


	2. TZhou and Conrad

**Could It Be?!**

_**A Cold Night!**_

He heard a bleat.

Conrad Weller stopped in his tracks and turned about to see a lone sheep in the middle of the hallway.

"T-Zhou," the brunette beamed. "Joining me on my shift? Yozak's too kind..."

"Could it beee?!" T-Zhou exclaimed and hopped onto Conrad's head, giving him an awkward afro. The man chuckled and continued walking as the sheep vibrated in comfort.

They encountered two soldiers of his colors, who gave their captain a startled salute before rushing off. Besides that, it was a relatively peaceful night.

Conrad yawned widely and T-Zhou made a concerned hum. Chocolate eyes tried to look up at where the animal was and their owner smiled.

"I'll be honest with you," he began conversationally. "I'm not supposed to be patrolling tonight."

The sheep 'hmm'-ed shirlly and momentarily blocked the man's vision with his angry upside-down face. Blazing yellow eyes screamed 'Why aren't you alseep then?!'

His comfortable perch stepped back a bit in slight shock, before smiling apologetically. "One night of missed sleep won't kill me..."

T-Zhou bleated something that suspiciously sounded like 'Gwendal' that got Conrad thinknig he must be making a reference to the general's wrinkles and chuckled.

"He'll have you sheared."

That hit home and the woolly pet squee-ed in fright, curling himself into a tighter ball around the brunette's head.

"What has you still up and about?" came the question after a few moments' silence.

T-Zhou's increased vibrating and periodic angry growls implied 'I should be asking you that' but instead he said, "Yuuurii..."

Conrad's eyebrow rose. "You went to see His Majesty? Has he gone to sleep?"

The sheep shook his head, disregarding the fact that the man could not see his gesture. "Woorruuu..."

"Ah. Wolfram's not in yet, I see."

The brunette fell into deep thought, failing to notice his companion's concerned sounds. Yuuri was truly the understatement of a thoughtful boy. For sure it was impossible for him to sleep soundly amidst the renewed tension within the kingdom. But if they'd want him to get any sleep at all ('they' being his advisers, retainers and all those that cared for his welfare), the boy would have to be reassured that waiting once in a whlie wasn't such a bad idea and that everything would be easier to tackle in the morning, self-esteem boosts aside.

The person who usually did that was Wolfram, the king's closest confidant other than Conrad much more than the blonde would be likely to admit. But as of that night, he wasn't there...

Conrad couldn't blame his brother, of course. It was unfair to be someone's shock-absorber without having anyone for your own. Besides, everyone in the castle was already in an anxious mood. As far as exaggerrations go, they'd all need a sedative if they'd want any sort of shut-eye.

Knowing his god-son, Yuuri would surely be restless, plagued by his self-inflicted insecurities. A pang of guilt grew in Conrad's gut at the realization of his current unsupportiveness and he stopped walking again.

T-Zhou, who had been dozing off, almost fell from where he was and blinked in surprise. He mewled a worried 'Could it be?' in the captain's ear.

"T-Zhou..." Conrad began with inquiry. "You went to see His Majesty, didn't you?"

The increased frequency of the sheep's vibrations told him that was a 'yes'. The brunette's eyebrows creased together.

"Even if he wasn't asleep, is he alright?" It was a real, honest to gosh question coming from a caring, extremely concerned godfather.

T-Zhou growled, which to Conrad sounded suspiciously like Yozak trying to gurgle out phlegm. The man chuckled, knowing that in the sheep's own dictionary, it meant 'What do you take me for? I barge in the Demon King's room, see him dee-jected and NOT do something to _at least_ make him feel better? Honestly, Lord Weller, you under-estimate me. For that, you shallbe my bed for a little while longer...'

With that, the unusual animal wriggled and attached himself more firmly to Conrad's head, severly mussing up his hair.

"Alright, alright T-Zhou," said the man in calm defeat. "I'm sorry I asked." His hand reached up to endearingly rub the woolly head, exctracting a bleated acceptance of apology.

Conrad sighed and resumed his walking at a slower pace. Well, if Wolfram wasn't there, at least T-Zhou was. Yuuri's anxiety may not have vanished but at least he wasn't drowning in it. Conscience eased, the brunette let his feet take him down the familiar route to his bedroom. A flustered squadron passed them by but he hardly noticed, already content for the night. T-Zhou purred and wriggled more on his head.

The sheep was just about to doze off again when strong, sure hands pried him off his perch and hugged him tightly before settling him down on the floor. Conrad smiled at the question in his fluffy face.

"Thank you for tonight," he said, halfway through opening the door, and looked down at the sheep seated by it like a patient, inquisitive dog. "It's been a long day and I didn't think I'd get any rest. You should get some too...and please thank Yozak if he sent you."

T-Zhou 'hmph'-ed in a most Wolfram-esque manner as soon as the bedroom door closed shut. He was an independent sheep, answerable to no one! He was by no means sent by Yozak to accomplish anything either, and as much as he loved the guy, he wasn't going to take any credit for his hard work.

Besides, T-Zhou was only going to sleep until all the damned humans do! They could be so baffling sometimes, intellecutal superiority aside. The simplest solutions to their problems elude them and the only thing they seemingly want to do in life is create problems and drive themselves crazy trying to solve them. Take tonight's case for example.

The sheep could not fathom what exactly would _not_ sleeping do to solve the present problems of the Great Demon Kingdom. As stubborn as they were respectably smart, these restless mazoku (half and pure-breeds) were going to get sleep no matter what!

**TBC**

A/N: Gwendal up next.


	3. TZhou and Gwendal

A/N: This piece is a different for me...more thoughts and no dialogue.

**Could it Be?!**

**_Paperwork Be Damned!_**

Two pairs of hooves clippity-clopped their way down a dark, quiet hallway somewhere within Blood Pledge Castle's East Wing. The moon was quite high and beams of white light formed shadowy duplicates of arched pillars on the opposite wall.

T-Zhou momentarily wondered how the horses were probably doing this time of night when a figure stepped out of the blackness and halted. The sheep jumped in surprise...before bristling with fear at the sight of Gwendal von Voltaire who had one large hand over the hilt of his sword, just in case the movement had been that of an intruder's.

The sheep emitted a terrified bleat and backed up against a pillar, trembling madly. Gwendal only sighed in relief and let down his guard somewhat. He stared at the animal and his left eye twitched, grumbling something vague about Yozak and the discipline of his wooly subordinates.

"What are you doing at this time of night?" he asked sternly, walking over. "You can't go wandering at your leisure. The security's been tightened and you can get killed if you aren't careful."

T-Zhou found himself picked up like a wet kitty and scrutinized. Conrad's words earlier that night came back to him and he quickly pulled off his best googly-eyes in the hopes that this roughened ex-general would spare his...wool.

Gwendal's eye twitched. Again.

It was just too cute and any more exposure to it, years of hard work earning the reputation he had down would go to the dogs (or sheep, in his case). The frown on his face lessened in intensity.

"Are you lost?" came the question.

T-Zhou shook his head and cocked it to the side, returning the question to the man. Gwendal looked momentarily disconcerted before he gave a tamed smirk. He set the sheep down and petted its head.

"You can come with me to my office if you can't sleep for the night."

"Could it be?" T-Zhou asked with his own equivalent of an inquisitive pout, looking up at Lady Cheri's eldest son. He couldn't sleep either, but T-Zhou was far from surprised.

The pair made their way to said room in silence. The night had progressed and the hallways were darker than they should be. Not soul nor wind passed by them and the only indication of company T-Zhou had was Gwendal's leg occasionally brushing against him. Scared, he stuck to the limb.

"Why are you up?" Gwendal asked without malicious intent (according to T-Zhou's physiological analyses).The man had opened the door to his dimly lighted office and waited for his unexpected guest to enter before closing it behind him.

The sheep huffed and hopped onto the long conference table fronting Gwendal's desk. He watched the brusque mazoku seat himself gracefully on the high-backed chair and half-heartedly pick up an official document from the tall pile to his left...

T-Zhou huffed again. Why did everyone him what he was doing up? Of course, Yuuri and Conrad couldn't suffice as everyone, but he had yet to meet someone who would be plainly happy to see him and not ask what he was up to.

He growl-bleated and Gwendal stared at him.

"I'm not going to entertain you if that's what you came here for," he said.

T-Zhou shook his head and sweat-dropped. _I'm sure..._ he thought before looking pointedly at the general and feigning sleep. The man could be stubbornly dense sometimes but he was no stranger to the likes of Yozak's inflating sheep.

Gwendal made great play of acting preoccupied and shuffled some papers about. "Entertaining such actions is out of the question," he said. "Sleeping amidst a crisis is a luxury I can't afford. Being with Yozak should have taught you that."

The sheep gave a confused bleat and shook his head, earning him a long stare from the black-haired man. It silently conveyed _'Figures.'_ before said disgruntled mazoku returned to his "occupation".

T-Zhou patiently watched him in mild interest and noted that those brilliant blue eyes weren't moving as they normally would in the process of reading but were merely skimming over the document in a semi-distracted manner. On the whole, the general looked irritated, unhappy, dissatisfied, exasperated, fatigued and even hungry for the heck of throwing something physical into the mix. The amount of turbulence raging just under Gwendal's skin was enough to milk anyone to a prune and clamor for some panacea that would eliminate 200 demon years worth of wrinkles.

That, however, was beside the point. It was bad enough for the guy to be worrying so much over something he wasn't even sure worth worrying about, but why was he acting snappish toward cute things like him at such a late hour?

_He should really get to sleep,_ T-Zhou thought. But honestly, it wasn't fair! Being a Cute Thing gave him license to be on the general's good side. As much as that train of thought didn't follow logic at all, the sheep couldn't help but feel privileged.

T-Zhou stood up and trotted in a noisy circle on the conference table, acting very much like a cat preparing for a nap. Gwendal shot him a glare which T-Zhou deflected with utter nonchalance on his wool-crowned head. The former's left eye violently twitched once more as the latter settled himself comfortably atop the table and gave him _that_ look.

A perfect deadpan to rival his infamous scowl.

A deadpan that screamed 'You don't want to do paperwork. You're just using it as a semi-manly excuse to escape sleeping because pulling an incredible all-nighter in this time of "crisis" would save your ego. In reality you just can't _get_ to sleep...like everyone else. Difference is...you're horribly failing in the part where your ego's concerned. No need to worry though, it's just me...'

Gwendal sighed as T-Zhou consequently proceeded to ignore him. The sheep missed the small semblance of a smile tugging at the corners of the noble mazoku's mouth as he, somewhat eagerly, wrapped up the unfinished paperwork.

T-Zhou mentally pouted when he heard an increased amount of shuffling paper and was about to declare Gwendal an impossibly stubborn case when large, warm hands whisked him off the desk and pressed him against a warm, uniform clad chest.

The sheep blinked confusedly and found himself in the stern general's secure hug. Silently, the man went about clearing up his office for the night before turning off the dim oil lamp and shutting the intricately carved door behind them with a resounding click.

The hallways were still with no light and sentries were not posted in the specific portion of the castle Gwendal was trekking.

Bump. Bump. Bump went T-Zhou's unsupported backside, making his hind legs bounce stiffly in front of him. He refused to squirm, fearing those secure arms hugging his underside would encounter more difficulty holding up his space-guzzling wooliness and drop him to the cold, unforgiving floor. The sheep felt oddly humbled and silenced in Gwendal's minimal manifestation of physical care and was about ready to admit he was most comfortable now than during any other part of the night so far.

The pair soundlessly made their way to the earth-wielder's bedroom from which T-Zhou emerged a few minutes later, flushed and embarrassed from escaping Gwendal's vice-like grip-hug as the man blissfully entered the realm of dreams.

**TBC**

A/N: Excuse any typos and crappy formatting. My file extension at the moment is .doc and not .odt


	4. TZhou and Yozak Interlude

**Could it Be?!**

**_The Interlude!_**

It was amazing how he found his way out the castle. The visit was only his second and yet he managed to get out on the courtyard nearest the stables without running into any sort of guard or personel...

...until for the third time the entire night (this one none too gentle), he was picked off from the ground and fiercely cuddled.

"Where have you _been_?"

A bubble of happiness swelled inside him as the voice and the scent that went with it assailed T-Zhou's senses. He squirmed about and beamed as happily as a sheep could as his suspicions were confirmed.

"Could it beeeeeeeeeee?!"

Yozak Gurrier laughed as the prime sheep of his inflating flock enthusiastically began licking his face like a hyperactive puppy. "Calm down, boy!"

T-Zhou pulled back and the pair stared at each other fondly for a few moments before the unusual animal emitted a joyous bleat once more and cuddled into the orange-haired man's shoulder. "Could it bee?!" he mewled affectionately. It didn't take a doofus in the dark to tell that the was really happy to see the guy.

Helping his castle friends get a good night's rest was really taking a toll on T-Zhou and he had been extremely anxious to meet a face he could be more comfortable than comfortable with. And he met Yozak! His effervescent travel companion! His partner-in-crime! His (towel?) boy! Someone who wouldn't poke his nose in his evening excursions—

"What have you been doing? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Yozak said, examining his woolly friend while fluffing him up. "It's late. Why are you still up?"

"Guu..." T-Zhou gurgled reproachfully. Okay, maybe he _had_ spoke too soon and Yozak was still human, hence would also inevitably poke his beautiful nose into his evening excursions. Nevertheless, the sheep gave the physically toned, cross-dressing man a happy wriggle and vibrated appreciatively. 'It's none of your business!'

Yozak chuckled as the pair settled on the soft garden grass and looked up at the stars. The quiet tranquility of the night they shared was somewhat rudely interrupted by the violent sneeze that successfully forced its way out of the orange-haired man's throat. Yozak sniffled before groaning. T-Zhou emitted a concerned sound and his companion vigorously rubbed his woolly head.

"Don't worry about it," came the thick-voiced reassurance. "I've been sneezing a lot. It's not a cold...at least I know I'm not coming down with one but it seems a lot of people have me on their minds tonight."

T-Zhou rolled his eyes at the killer smile Yozak sent. Oh if only he knew...

**TBC**

A/N: Wolfram next. He's the last I have in mind...I don't know how else to go about the others. Though if I get bitten by a streak I will do Gunter, Anissina, Greta, Gisela, Cheri, Dakaskos and the maids. Any other important characters I've missed? Oh! Murata and Shinou too.


End file.
